Pts in the Paint

Fastbreak Pts

Bench Pts

The short story: Sophomore forward Marcus Santos-Silva provided 11 of his career-high 17 points in the second half, but it wasn't enough to stop Rhode Island, which shot 53 percent after intermission, Wednesday night at the Ryan Center.

OPENING TIP

Santos-Silva finished 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-8 at the charity stripe for VCU. He added seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots

Junior guard De'Riante Jenkins added 16 points, three blocks and two steals for the Black and Gold, while redshirt junior guard Marcus Evans supplied 13 points and six assists

Fatts Russell led all scorers with 19 points for Rhode Island, while Jeff Dowtin kicked in 14

THE DIFFERENCE

In a physical contest, Dowtin scored four points to spark a 10-0 run that pushed Rhode Island to a 43-34 lead with 8:36 remaining

Rhode Island would push its lead to as much as 61-49 with 3:38 remaining on a Russell triple from the left wing, followed by a layup from Tyrese Martin

VCU was able to make a late push. Bolstered by a pair of Santos-Silva traditional three-point plays, the Black and Gold closed the gap to 65-60 when Evans drew a three-shot foul on Russell at the 1:00 mark. Evan connected on all three free throws to make it a one-possession game. But Jermaine Harris knocked down a mid-range jumper in the lane on Rhody's next possession, and VCU was called for a charge on a drive to the basket on its ensuing opportunity

Rhode Island capitalized on 18 VCU turnovers to the tune of 20 points

Rhody outrebounded VCU 38-33

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

VCU tied a season-high with nine blocked shots. Jenkins and redshirt sophomore forward Corey Douglas were credited with three apiece

The two teams combined to shoot 3-of-21 from 3-point range Wednesday

NEXT UP VCU will travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to take on Duquesne on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. at the Palumbo Center.